


The Omega Club

by Ryoko21



Series: Alphas and Omegas [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, M/M, Multi, Non-Consensual Body Modification
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-10-23
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:53:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5058187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryoko21/pseuds/Ryoko21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve thinks there's probably never a good time for your thought-to-be-dead mate to wander back into your life. But right now? Probably the worst timing ever. Steve has just started to feel comfortable in this new time, with his fellow omega and lover Tony Stark. Not to mention that Bucky isn't the same alpha Steve remembers. Gone is the kind and supportive alpha who helped Steve become Captain America, and in his place is the cold and distant Winter Soldier. What's more, Steve can't hear Bucky's voice through their mating bond. Is he even the same person? Can Steve heal his alpha and keep his lover?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Omega Club

**Author's Note:**

  * For [penumbria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/penumbria/gifts).



> penumbria made some beautiful artwork for this. Please check out all of it on her page at http://archiveofourown.org/works/5058187

 

                The first time Steve sees Bucky, he thinks he’s losing his mind.

                The second time he sees Bucky, he hopes he is.

                Because it is Bucky – It _is._ It looks like Bucky, it sounds like Bucky, it walks like Bucky.

                But Steve’s body has no reaction. There’s no sense of _mate_ other than the low static that’s always in the back of his mind, like a radio left on with no station to play. Steve’s sent more calls through that connection than he cares to remember, only to be met with the faint buzzing of an empty line. A buzzing that he’s learned to ignore with years of practice.

                And now, the buzzing is nearly silent. Steve thinks it should be blaring like an air raid siren. It should be filling his mind with want, with need, with affection and aggression and protection. His body should be _racing_ with hormones and adrenaline. But his mind – _his heart_ – is silent as a tomb.

 

 

                Steve thinks there’s probably never a good time for your thought-to-be-dead mate to wander back into your life. If there were, however, this wouldn’t be it. Steve is just starting to settle in this new century, with this new team, in this new world. He’s had a couple heats and either took care of them by himself (as the later ones have gotten progressively less frequent and less intense) or asked Tony for help.

                And Tony is another issue on the Spectacularly Bad Timing list. Tony, who surprised the hell out of Steve by revealing himself as an omega, has become a close friend and occasional lover. With permission from Tony’s female-alpha mate, Pepper, Tony (along with help from modern medicine and the omega/omega couple of Phil and Clint) had guided Steve through his first heat after being unfrozen. Since then, Tony occasionally offered to hang out with Steve when both their busy schedules allowed it. Tony had also helped Steve through another heat, which had been significantly less intense than the first. It was nice, having another strong-willed omega to confide in, and Steve finally felt like he might be getting comfortable.

                Tony never talked about Pepper when he was with Steve. And Steve realizes now that he probably should have known that it was a sign. But, as far as Steve knew, Tony and Pepper were the ideal alpha-female/omega-male power-couple. They were both celebrities, with Pepper running Stark industries and Tony still inventing for pleasure and profit. Everything seemed fine.

                Until Pepper broke their bond.

                Steve isn’t sure if he’s more offended that it happened, or that he has to find out from a newspaper app. Not even a real, flesh and blood paper, but a stupid app on his stupid phone that Tony bought for him.

                In Steve’s day, omegas died when their bonds were broken. Alphas fared a little better, and betas generally only got flu-like symptoms. But omegas, especially male omegas, were known to waste away. Phil tells Steve that it’s a lot better now, that the casualty rate for broken bonds is in the single digits thanks to modern medicine. Tony goes into a mourning heat, his body naturally trying to attract either the original alpha or a new one to replace her, and there’s nothing modern medicine can do to stop that. Tony has the option to endure the heat by himself with artificial alpha hormones to help his body stabilize, which is more than they had back in Steve’s time, but it won’t stop the heat from actually occurring. Steve knows how bad a mourning heat is – knows that you’re miserable and horny and that neither of those two things go well together, and that you generally don’t want anyone near you until you’re too desperate to think straight – and gears up to bunker down with Tony and help him ride it out.

                When Tony disappears into his labs, when a string of professionally employed “heat-breaker” alphas make the trip into Tony’s inner sanctum, and when Tony returns nine days later looking haggard and sick but completely devoid of the scent of heat, Steve isn’t really sure how he feels.

                He thinks “hurt” is probably a good description.

                But Steve gets it, in the long run. Tony wanted an alpha, and for all the things Steve is, he’s still an omega. So they don’t talk about it, not really. They just start gradually hanging out again – slowly this time, without the rush of Steve’s heat bringing them together. It gets nice. Steve would like to say they’re dating, but he’s not really sure if that’s the modern term to use. He knows two omegas can bond now, given modern medical miracles, but they’re nowhere near that idea. Having both faced broken bonds in the past, Steve doesn’t think either of them will probably want to rebond. And apparently that’s okay in this modern century, apparently they have plenty of couples (even some alpha/omega couples) that choose to live in something called “domestic partnerships” because bonding is too difficult or painful for them to contemplate.

                And Steve is just starting to think – Yeah, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

                When Bucky shows up.

 

 

                SHIELD collapsing and finding Hydra agents hidden around every corner shakes Steve more than he’d like to admit. More than he thought that this century could, after everything he’d been through in the war. But nothing – _nothing_ – shakes Steve like seeing the ghost of his bonded mate. He thinks, it has to be a ghost, right? Because it’s as intangible as a ghost, evoking none of the emotions and sensations Steve associates with Bucky. Still Steve pursues him. Calls him. Tries to convince Bucky of who he is – who Steve wants him to be – but it all seems to be for naught. The Winter Soldier leaves him half-drowned on the banks of a river, but Bucky Barnes haunts Steve’s every waking moment.

                Steve searches for him like a man possessed. So, of course, Bucky surrenders to SHIELD. The same SHIELD that is now a nearly-crumbled organization with virtually no resources and definitely no credentials. So they deliver him straight to Steve anyway. Natasha even apologizes for forgetting to put a bow on him, then leaves the gaunt-looking assassin standing in the entrance to Stark Tower.

                And it’s there, standing in the doorway, that Steve realizes that he doesn’t really know this man at all. His body doesn’t recognize him, and Bucky certainly doesn’t remember much about Steve. Those flat eyes, where they had once been filled with life and vibrancy, might as well stab him through the heart. Steve feels like he’s been chasing a dream, and reality is a nightmare.

                Bucky speaks first, and the voice is so strange and familiar at the same time that it makes Steve nauseous. Familiar because Steve has heard that voice go through every nuance from awestruck and excited to panicked and pained, but never has he heard it so flat and lifeless as it is now. And, stranger still, because it’s been nearly a decade by his own timeline since he’s heard that voice without their bond echoing the words in his mind.

                “I have reliable intel that Alexander Pierce is alive. I’m willing to offer my services in exchange for assistance in eliminating him.”

                Steve frowns, because not only is this an unexpected and unwanted development, but also because he isn’t entirely comfortable agreeing to help the Winter Soldier with an assassination. Steve isn’t one to go directly for the kill shot if there are any other options available. Still, he thinks having the Winter Soldier working for them is still safer than letting him go rogue, and Steve is desperate to see if he can awaken any parts of Bucky Barnes that might still be alive inside of the Soldier.

                “Come on up,” Steve says, and Bucky merely nods in response.

                Steve gets used to those nods, because they’re pretty much the only way Bucky communicates. Gone are the easy smiles, the quick banter. This ghost – this doppleganger with Bucky’s face – is nearly mute. Questions that can’t be answered with a nod or a head shake get one word answers, or as few words as Bucky can manage. Instructions aren’t even acknowledged, simply followed out as soon as possible.

                The only good thing about Bucky’s timing is that the Tower is empty when he arrives. Tony is away on a conference, Clint and Natasha are on an undercover mission, and Thor is in Asgard. So Steve has time to get Bucky settled in, to set him up in the spare room on his floor, to introduce the soldier to JARVIS and get him clearance to the communal areas of the Tower, and to show Bucky the layout. He wants to have time to talk to Bucky, to see if he can awaken old memories and deep connections, but he might as well be talking to the toaster. (Which is, incidentally, the only appliance in the Tower that is not voice automated.)

The only thing that Bucky truly expresses an opinion about is that he doesn’t want to be checked out by medical. Steve tries to argue with him, but Bucky refuses and Steve doesn’t want to force him. There’s too much that’s already been forced on Bucky, and Steve can’t bring himself to be another person who treats Bucky like a prisoner. Bucky seems healthy enough and his arm functions fine, so Steve lets it go. The SHIELD medical personnel just frown and drop words like “PTSD” and “potential triggers” before signing Bucky over to Steve’s care. Steve keeps a close eye on him, but Bucky is almost robotic in his actions. Steve feels like an unnecessary annoyance most of the time.

                By the time Clint and Natasha return, nothing has changed. By the time Tony returns from his conference, still nothing has changed. And by the time Thor gets back from Asgard, Steve has stopped trying.

                They share an apartment. They don’t share a history. They certainly don’t share a bond.

                Bucky exercises in the morning. He bathes after every fitness routine and whenever the group gets back from a mission. He eats the communal meals when someone else cooks, but he does not sit with the group. He almost always sits, instead, on the floor closest to the exit, with his combat boots propped against the doorway and his food in his lap. If no one cooks, he eats whatever is ready-made in the cupboards: cans of soup, cereals, granola bars, raw vegetables. He doesn’t bother to heat his food, preferring to eat it straight out of the container with only a fork or spoon or his hands. He does not shop for himself, although Tony is kind enough to issue him a Stark Star Credit Card. He does not express preference, unless the question is, “Would you like to spar/fight/go on a mission/kill something?” In which case the answer is always, “Yes.” He does not do small talk. He does not do laundry, and eventually Steve breaks and starts doing it for the both of them. He does not try to learn about himself, or his past, or any of his new comrades.

                He eats. He sleeps. And he hunts Hydra. Everything else is inconsequential.

               

 

                There is a small divergence to the routine sometime at the end of May, three months after Bucky comes to live with Steve. They’ve just come back from a battle with a small army of half-man, half-lizard hydra experiments. Which was fine. Until they started spitting acid.

                But that was hours ago. The team has been patched and scrubbed, the remnants of the creatures bagged and packed and shipped to SHIELD labs. All in all, it’s been a successful mission, with only a few minor burns and bruises on everyone.

                Most of their clothes, however, took the worst of the damage. So Steve is a bit unsurprised when Bucky shows up in his doorway still wet from the shower. Another new thing about Bucky is that he doesn’t like to show his skin unless absolutely unavoidable, where the Bucky that Steve remembers loved nothing better than to strut around in the buff. Now Bucky’s in his customary post-shower terrycloth robe, with his metal hand clutching it closed.

                “Need something?” Steve asks, but he already knows the answer.

                “All of my clothes have been damaged,” Bucky responds.

It’s not that a single mission has destroyed Bucky’s entire wardrobe, but Steve had been hoping that Bucky would take the initiative to purchase some new clothes himself. It seems that the soldier has no intention of doing his own shopping, so it will fall to Steve to make sure the necessities are provided. It’s not that Steve minds taking care of Bucky, who is now military-style low maintenance, but Steve had been hoping that Bucky would show some interest in his own life outside of missions.

                “You can grab some of mine,” Steve tells him with a sigh. “I should have some long-sleeves for you,” he points out, knowing Bucky’s preference to keep his arms covered.

                Bucky nods and goes to rifle around in Steve’s dresser for clothes. He finds pants and underwear fairly easily, but Steve has his shirts all hung in the closet. By the time Steve realizes that Bucky is looking through all the drawers in his search for clothes, Bucky already has the bottom drawer open. Only, the bottom drawer doesn’t have clothes in it. It holds the sex toys that Steve used to get through his heat last time. The ones Tony had helped him utilize and had gifted to him afterwards.

                Steve blushes as Bucky picks up a long, purple dildo with a partial knot at the bottom. Steve opens his mouth to protest, but the sneer on Bucky’s face stops him dead. Steve goes cold, feels the bottom drop out of his stomach, and all before Bucky even speaks.

                When Bucky quietly hisses, “Whore,” and throws the dildo onto the floor in disgust, Steve feels physically ill.

                And then he’s angry.

                “Get the fuck out,” Steve growls. Bucky rounds on him, the sneer still firmly in place, one eyebrow cocked in challenge.

                “Wassa matter, slut? Can’t take it?” Bucky asks, then chuckles. Steve completely misses the fact that it’s the longest string of words Bucky’s said. “Or, I guess you can,” he says, then nods at the floor. “Just not the real thing.”

                Steve sees red. He’s in Bucky’s face before he realizes it, nose to nose with the aggravated alpha.

                “Leave,” Steve says quietly, but there’s steel under his words. It isn’t a threat of violence, it’s a promise.

                “Fine,” Bucky replies, and shoves himself against Steve’s shoulder as he heads for the door. He shoves his hands in his pockets, and calls back over his shoulder, “I’ll give you and that hunk of plastic some privacy. Fucking Holes.”

                Steve hasn’t been called a Hole since before he was frozen. Since… He thinks for a moment, and realizes it was before he’d even take the serum and became Captain America. A Hole had been a common slur for a male omega in the ‘40s. Because of their unique biology, male omegas are often infertile, and almost always have difficulty carrying offspring to term on their own. The birth itself caused many omega deaths in Steve’s time, although he’s fairly certain the odds have improved with modern medicine. With less than half the fertility of a female omega but the same amount of drive to mate, male omegas were often regarded as convenient receptacles for a male alpha’s lust. “Worth nothing more than a hole,” had eventually been reduced to “Holes” and the name had stuck.

                Steve shakes his head and forces himself to stop thinking about being a skinny omega in Brooklyn, of fighting off bigger alphas and betas who saw him as nothing more than the sum of his orifices. Bucky had never been like that.

                But then, Steve thinks as he puts the dildo back in the drawer and slams it shut with enough force to crack the wood, this isn’t Bucky. Bucky wouldn’t begrudge omegas the ability to satisfy themselves- he’d encouraged Steve to bring himself off on more than one occasion when Bucky as too wounded or too tired to do it. And he’d never been upset the few times that Steve had handled his own heat alone, other than to be unhappy that he’d missed it. And Bucky had never, ever made Steve feel worthless like this, made him feel like he should be ashamed of being an omega, of having needs and satisfying them. But this person who wears Bucky’s face isn’t Bucky.

                And apparently the Winter Soldier is just another asshole alpha.

 

 

                It doesn’t come up again, and Steve is fine to let the whole incident drop. Bucky doesn’t make any comments about Steve being an omega, or any sexist comments about omegas. Actually, he goes back to rarely making comments at all. He continues following orders to the letter, being aloof and difficult to speak to, and generally being a jackass when he’s not actively engaged in hurting someone.

                Tony rarely sees Bucky. Steve likes to think that Tony is trying to give him space to reconnect with his former mate, instead of believing that Tony simply doesn’t want to be around him anymore. Either way, Tony seems to actively avoid places that he knows Bucky will be, even if Steve isn’t around. They’ve met in passing a few times, but generally they only see each other on missions, when Tony is concealed by the suit and the both of them are busy with other things. It’s not until a few weeks after the incident in Steve’s bedroom that the two finally happen to collide in a non-literal sense at breakfast.

                Bucky is at his usual place on the floor, in the corner of the room beside the fridge. He’s sprawled out, still in his usual cargo pants and combat boots, with one leg lying flat and the other propped up to hold his dish. He’s got the metal hand holding the plate of pancakes and eggs steady while his flesh hand holds his fork and he’s virtually oblivious to anyone else in the room, including the people who have to step over him to get to the upper cabinets where the plates and cups are. It’s just Steve and Phil right now, although Steve expects that Clint and Thor will join them before long. He doesn’t expect Tony, which is all the more reason for the genius to appear.

                When Tony enters, sporting a three-day beard and bags under his eyes that tell Steve just how long Tony’s been awake and working on his project, Bucky scents the air. Tony doesn’t smell unpleasant, but he hasn’t showered during his work-binge, and he’s ripe with omega pheromones. Steve sees Bucky’s eyes narrow, sees him take another deep breath of that scent, and realizes that the only other place so saturated in Tony’s scent would be the toys that the two of them used during Steve’s last heat. Toys that had been inside of Steve after Tony had been, leaving Tony’s seed and the lingering marks of his scent all over them.

                And for a supersoldier’s nose, there’s no mistaking those kinds of scents.

                “So this is your double-fister,” Bucky sneers, and Steve feels his stomach drop.

                “Hi, Tony Stark,” Tony introduces, more to snark than because he doesn’t think Bucky knows who he is. “What the hell is a double-fister?”

                Thankfully, Phil steps in, because Steve isn’t sure he can force himself to explain that.

                “It’s a particularly vulgar word used to describe omega/omega couples years ago. It refers, in particular, to how an omega might imitate a knot for their partner by using two fists.” Phil’s voice is cold but professional. Steve doesn’t like hearing Phil forced into agent-mode here, in the communal part of their home. This should be a safe place.

                “Damn,” Tony curses, already moving toward the coffee pot, “that’s old school. We’ve got way better tech than that nowadays. Catch up, grandpa.”

                Bucky just growls and shovels another bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth, and throws the Stark heir his most disapproving glare. Tony grins and salutes Bucky with his coffee cup before grabbing a seat and starting to fill his plate.

                Steve clears his throat and tries to ease the tensions. Bucky’s been away for a long time, he reminds himself. Brainwashed, most likely. Steve thinks he should be more generous, so he says, “Buck, why don’t you come up here and eat at the table?”

                Bucky scoffs.

                “You fucking omega punters should eat on the floor.”

                Steve feels a hot flare of anger, but it’s Tony who rolls his eyes and says, “Literally everyone in this room is an omega, and we’re all eating at the table, so fuck you and your high-handed alpha shit. You eat on the floor like a Neanderthal. And have a good rut while you’re down there too.”

                Bucky just glares in response, then ignores them in favor of taking his anger out on his plate of eggs. Tony tries to cover a grin, and Steve can’t help but feel a bit amused and more than a bit grateful that Tony managed to diffuse the situation without letting Bucky’s comments go. Steve’s not sure, if he had responded, that he and Bucky wouldn’t have come to blows.

                Clint joins them before long, and talk turns to new arrows and scopes. When Steve ignores Bucky for the rest of the day, he tells himself that he isn’t trying to punish Bucky. He just really doesn’t want to deal with someone who’s that full of alpha-sexist bullshit. And Steve’s a little afraid that he might beat it out of Bucky.

 

 

                Everything changes when they track down Alexander Pierce. They’ve cornered him in a Hydra bolt-hole, and Bucky is taking this mission loose and angry. Steve thinks that it’s probably too late to realize that Bucky probably shouldn’t be here, that whatever grudge Bucky has against Pierce (and Steve’s sure it’s more than warranted, considering the little he knows about Bucky’s treatment at the hands of Hydra) means that Bucky’s a loose cannon on this mission.

                Steve isn’t surprised when Bucky darts off as soon as they get through the doors of the underground shelter. He’s even less surprised when he finally gets through the half-dozen Hydra guards that Bucky left him to handle, only to shove his way through an ajar door and find Bucky aiming a gun at Pierce’s bedridden form. Pierce, for his part, seems unflappable, and even the heart-monitor that he’s connected to shows no signs of stress at this situation. If anything, his gaunt face shows disdain for the man still pointing a gun at his head.

                “Stand down,” Steve demands, but Bucky ignores him and Pierce doesn’t even throw him a glance. He might as well be invisible, for how focused Bucky and his former handler are on each other.

                “You know what happens if you pull that trigger,” Pierce warns. “I don’t just die and you get to run free. They’ll replace me, and you know it. Eventually, you’ll be caught and you’ll be partnered with someone else. You’ll want it. Weak, pathetic creature that you are.” Pierce manages to work himself into a frenzy, and pushes himself up so that he can yell, “You’ll never find an alpha strong enough to replace me!”

                “They can’t possibly do any worse,” Bucky says, and shoots Pierce through the head.

                Steve yells, but it’s too late. Bucky’s still a crack shot, and Pierce’s brain is splattered all over the wall and his hospital bed. Then Bucky shudders and the gun falls from his fingers. His knees give out, and Steve reacts immediately to catch his comrade as he falls. Bucky’s body spasms wildly in Steve’s arms, twisting and contorting even as Bucky’s eyes roll back in his head.

                And Steve finds himself screaming for a different reason.

 

 

                Everything starts to make sense.

 

 

                Bucky finally goes to medical, for one of the hundred medical appointments that he was conveniently absent for. Steve hadn’t wanted to push him, hadn’t wanted to be like Hydra and force him into something he wasn’t comfortable with, but now he’s regretting it. Steve stays with Bucky as he’s transported by helicopter to a SHIELD-controlled medical base nearby. The medics have a hard time getting Steve to even put Bucky’s unresponsive body on a stretcher, and Steve’s fingers cling to Bucky’s as they are transported. Steve hasn’t got Bucky back – not the Bucky he knew, the one he loved – but it still feels like he’s losing him all over again.

                When they get to the hospital, the paramedics try to insist that Steve leave Bucky to them. They are unsuccessful in that Steve ignores them and follows Bucky into a private room. The medics don’t have the time or manpower to argue with Captain America. Ignoring him in response, the staff turn their attention to the unconscious man in their care.

                When Bucky’s shirt comes off, even the medics are stunned. The scarring from his shoulder isn’t enough to make the seasoned staff pause, even though it looks like he was put back together with power tools. And the scars from bullet wounds and shrapnel across his body don’t phase them at all. What makes the group cringe back in horror are the dozens of bonding-scars covering his chest and shoulders, including both the faded, tiny scar on his left shoulder from Steve’s smaller, pre-serum jaw and the large, jagged, bleeding mark on Bucky’s right pectoral that signals a broken bond.

                Steve staggers out of the room and vomits into a convenient waste bin in the hall. He stays there, with his head hung and his arms wrapped around the barrel, until someone shakes his shoulder. He looks up to find Tony kneeling next to him, and he loses it. In the middle of the hallway of an unfamiliar hospital, Steve wraps himself around Tony and weeps. The familiar scent of the other omega grounds him, as does the way Tony shifts beneath him, uncomfortable with so much raw emotion. Steve buries his face in Tony’s expensive suit and ruins it with tears. Tony doesn’t complain or pull away, just runs his hands along Steve’s back and lets him get it out of his system.

                “I’ve missed you,” Steve says when the tears have stopped.

                “I thought you’d be wrapped around your man and screwing three ways to Sunday,” Tony says bluntly. “I thought I’d be in the way.”

                “I don’t even know him,” Steve admits brokenly. It’s the first time he’s allowed himself to say it out loud, afraid that somehow saying it will make it more real.

                “He’s one messed up puppy, that’s for sure,” Tony agrees, but Steve shakes his head.

                “It’s not that. I just… I can’t find anything there that used to be him. Do you understand? It’s like something emptied out his shell and put someone else in.”

                “And the bond?”

                “It’s dead silent,” Steve admits. “I thought maybe he’d wake up, maybe it’d just take time, but…”

                “Let’s see what the docs have to say,” Tony advises. “Trust me, I am not the man you want to be asking about relationship advice. But I can tell you for sure, the last thing you should do is make a solid decision right now.”

                Steve nods and gets shakily to his feet. A part of him wants to go back into the room, to look at the damage that has been done to his lover’s body, and to wonder if his mate was in there when it happened or if he’s gone forever. Another part is just so grateful to have a moment that he doesn’t have to lead that he’d probably follow Tony anywhere.

               

 

                “So, here’s what we know.”

                The woman talking to him is short, blonde beta, with a serious expression and a no-nonsense demeanor. She frowns at Steve, who continues to stare blankly at the table. He’s in a conference room at the hospital with Bucky’s doctor, Maria Hill, and Tony. Steve respects Director Hill. He’s not sure he likes her at this point, but he trusts her not to try anything shady. And Tony’s support means a lot, because Tony can be an asshole sometimes but he’s always been straight with Steve about how things are. And he really needs someone to level with him right now.

                Tony jabs him in the shoulder, and it is enough to make the super soldier shake himself out of his thoughts and look at the doctor.

                “I’m sorry,” Steve apologizes, his voice still strained. “Please, continue.”

                “So, we’re pretty sure that Mr. Barnes was mated and fully bonded to Anthony Pierce.”

                “That’s impossible,” Steve argues. “Pierce is an alpha.”

                “Same sex pairings,” Tony reminds.

                “Yes,” the doctor – and Steve can’t believe he doesn’t remember her name - says, checking her charts. “There are several ways to trick an alpha’s body into accepting the bond of another alpha, although I haven’t seen any evidence of trait-suppressing drugs in Mr. Barnes’ system.”

                “Why would they do that?” Steve asks, appalled. “Why bond him? Why more than once?”

                “Captain Rogers,” the doctor says gently. “I’m sure you’re aware of the psychic implications of a strong bond. That dedicated mates can hear each other’s thoughts, can share each other’s mental space?”

                Steve nods. He and Bucky had shared a bond of that intensity, and been able to share thoughts and messages nearly instantaneously. It had been invaluable to their ability as a team during the war, and one of the reasons that the government had allowed a mated omega to stay on the warfront, American icon or not.

                “Unfortunately, that bond is not always used for altruistic purposes.”

                Steve feels an icy chill come over his form. His hands are clammy and cold, and he feels nauseous again.

                “You mean…”

                “Mind control,” she says, and the words echo in the room like a clap of thunder. “In forced bonds, under the most extreme conditions and with the help of several illegal drugs, it is possible to subvert a person’s will through a bond. Alpha’s tend to have aggressive personalities, so it probably would have taken a very high dosage of drugs to subvert your mate’s personality. We’re running blood tests right now, but there are so many different drugs and contaminants that we’re having a difficult time piecing it all out.”

                “But bonds work both ways. You can’t just control someone’s thoughts and emotions.”

                “There are drugs that can be used to make a person more susceptible to bond-transferred influences. And… well,” she says, her face grim but determined, “the idea of a single-sided bond was taboo even in your time, and it’s considered more reprehensible now. Unfortunately, doesn’t make them non-existent. A group like Hydra would have the technology to create a single-sided bond, and we could find no evidence of a mating bite on Pierce’s body.”

                “Are you saying he was… he was drugged and mind-raped?”

                “It’s possible,” she says seriously, “although we can’t tell for sure.”

                Steve doesn’t have any words to describe the horror he feels at this. Safe to say, from the silence in the room, that his revulsion shows clearly on his face. Tony’s hand comes to Steve’s shoulder, and Steve wants nothing more than to sink into the omega’s embrace and hide from all of this. Instead, he makes himself look at the doctor again.

                “Is that why his personality is so different? Why he’s been acting this way? And how did he break Pierce’s control?”

                “He didn’t, not entirely. His attitude probably reflects a lot of Pierce’s influence, but your original bond must have influenced him enough to break Pierce’s control over his actions.”

                “So, all this time he was struggling with Pierce’s bond? And I didn’t even know?” Steve asks, guilt stabbing through him like a hot knife.

                “Knock off the pity party,” Tony says, but the words are said softly and followed by an encouraging squeeze to Steve’s shoulder. Tony knows how easily Steve beats himself up, and has no interest in allowing the Captain to sink into one of his famous depressions. “There’s no way you could have known. Hell, we didn’t even know this kind of thing was possible on this scale. The important thing is that you’re here for him now, right Doc?”

                “Oh, yes,” the beta says quickly, scanning her notes again. “We can be sure this time that Pierce is actually dead because Mr. Barnes is showing signs of bond-break. So it’s important for Captain Rogers to be close to Barnes so that their original bond might alleviate some of the symptoms of the broken bond.”          

                “So,” Steve says, and gives a start like he’s going to stand and bolt for the door, “I should be with him, right? I need to be with him!”

                “Hang on a second, soldier,” Director Hill interjects. “Bucky’s stable right now, and he’s in good hands. We need to take a moment and get a prognosis on him, so we can decide what to do from there. Doctor? Is bond-break the only problem we have to deal with?”

                “Actually,” she replies hesitantly, “We’re not entirely sure what we’re dealing with. The current problem is obviously bond-break from Pierce’s death, but we don’t know exactly what’s happening inside his body. We’ve taken blood samples, but, like I said, we’re having trouble filtering through all the different contaminants in his body. And then that arm…”

                “Leave the arm to me,” Tony interjects. “I’ve scanned it once before, and there’s some serious shielding on it. Your pal wasn’t too keen on me looking at it, but I can guarantee you that nobody’s transmitting anything through it, although now I’m a bit worried about the inner workings. I’ll need to take another look when everything settles down. My first look was more of a peek than a full-frontal, if you know what I mean.”

                “When did you…”Steve asks, rounding on Tony to find him quirking a mischievous half-grin.

                “You had to sleep sometime, Cap,” Tony says fondly. “I just caught him on one of his midnight food-runs and dragged him down to the lab. He didn’t want me messing with it, but he didn’t mind me taking scans of his arm to make sure it was safe. Of course, now I have a whole list of things that I didn’t know Hydra might have hidden in there.”

                Steve isn’t sure if he’s more upset that someone got to Bucky without him knowing, or that Tony managed to find time for Bucky when he was actively avoiding Steve. But Steve doesn’t have time to parse through the tangled web of emotions he feels about Tony and Bucky and everything that’s happened, so he shakes his head and turns back to Hill.

                “What should we do?”

                “The doctors want to keep him here for a while longer to run more tests,” Maria admits, “but the fact is that they don’t really know what’s going on with him, so they aren’t actually doing anything to help him. Right now, all they’ve got him hooked up to is a round of fluids, because they’re not sure how anything else will react to what’s already in his system.”

                “So there’s no real reason for him to stay in the hospital,” Tony surmises, and Maria gives a curt nod.

                “We’ve got no reason to think that he’s going to get drastically worse any time soon. With bond-break, once the initial shock wears off, the symptoms usually alleviate unless the patient goes into a mourning heat or rut. If that happens, however, we can step in and offer him hormone therapy or assistance. There’s a good chance that we won’t see Mr. Barnes go into a rut for a number of reasons, but mainly because there’s already another bond in place, his last partner was a fellow alpha, and he probably didn’t have any sentimental attachments to his alpha.”

                “So, best case scenario, he wakes up as his old self and finds his omega waiting for him?” Tony asks. Maria nods.

                “We think it’s probably a good idea to get him to a more secure location before that happens. We know that Hydra will be looking for him, so we’d like to get him somewhere off the grid while he gets whatever they did to him out of his system.”

                “I’ve got some places,” volunteers Tony immediately. “I can pilot them there myself, so that no one else will have their location.”

                Hills looks to Steve for confirmation, but the Captain is so overwhelmed that he can only nod. The only thing that he’s sure about right now is that Tony would never put them in harm’s way, and that he needs to do whatever he can to keep Bucky safe.

                “Okay then,” Director Hill says, “While you and Mr. Barnes are taken to a safe location, SHIELD staff will be analyzing Barnes’ blood samples to see if we can isolate the different chemicals used on him and figure out a treatment. Coulson will be your liaison to SHIELD since he’s already in charge of the Avengers Initiative, so we’ll send updates to you through him. We confiscated some files from the bolt-hole that Pierce was hiding in, so we’ll let you know if that turns anything up. Until then, consider yourself on bond-leave, Captain.”

                Then Maria leaves, followed quickly by Bucky’s doctor. Tony tugs Steve to his feet and Steve is too overwhelmed to lead. He’s falling to pieces and he knows it, but his mind just can’t wrap around what’s happened to Bucky. To his mate. To his heart.

 

 

                By the time Steve manages to come back to himself, they’re in Tony’s private jet and Bucky is on a stretcher beside him. Steve has no idea where they are except that there is a thick, lush forest for as far as his eyes can see, and he can’t hear, smell, or see any signs of another living person other than the two in the jet with him.

                “It’s perfect,” he finds himself saying, and his fingers run through Buck’s lank hair of their own will. It’s the first time he’s shared an affectionate gesture with his mate since before he was frozen.

                “Just wait until you see the house,” Tony calls from the cockpit.

                Steve doesn’t have long to wait. The Jet comes to a stop a few minutes later and Steve can feel it using repulsor technology to drop straight down into a clearing that doesn’t look big enough for a craft this large. When they get under the tree-tops, Steve sees a hunting cabin in front of them, completely hidden from the air by the overgrown foliage, and hidden on the ground by surrounding trees.

                “This cabin has been in the Stark family for generations, but I made it a pet project a couple years ago. Nowhere safer on the planet,” Tony assures him. Steve feels himself relax, maybe for the first time since he woke up in this era, as he helps Tony transfer Bucky to the house.

                On the inside, the cabin is small but comfortable, with an open floor plan from the kitchen into a den with a large fireplace and plush couches. All the appliances look modern, but the house has a traditional feel to it that Steve likes. There’s a set of stairs to the side of the house, and Tony leads Steve up them as they carry Bucky on the gurney. The upstairs has three bedrooms and a large bathroom, and Tony takes Bucky into the first bedroom and helps Steve shift him into the queen-sized bed. Steve tucks his still-unconscious mate under the covers, settling him carefully and ever aware of the IV drip that he’s still attached to. Then he sinks to his knees beside the bed.

                “Come on,” Tony prods, pulling Steve by his arm. “Up you go, you’re too heavy for me to drag.”

                “No,” Steve protests, “I should stay…”

                “You’re no good to him like this,” Tony argues. “You’re exhausted, and you need to get some real sleep if you want to be of any use to anybody.”

                “But I can’t leave him unprotected!” Steve growls, his eyes glued to the wan face of his beloved mate.

                “Steve, look at me,” Tony demands, and Steve finally rips his eyes away from Bucky’s still form. “You’re safe. Do you understand? You’re both safe here. This is my personal safe house. It has arc-reactor generated shielding that can go up in a nano-second. It has JARVIS watching every inch of the perimeter and house. No one knows it’s here, no one even knows I own this land. You are safe. He is safe. And you need to go in the other room and lie down, because you haven’t gotten a proper moment of sleep since you found him.”

                “He’s… You’re sure it’s safe?”

                “Yes,” Tony says, and his voice is a mix of exasperation and affection. “It is the safest place on the planet. Now, I’ve got to go help decode the computers that they found with Pierce. JARVIS will monitor Bucky for signs of distress, and he’ll send text messages to me or Coulson through a safe channel, but your phone won’t have any service otherwise. Coulson or I will be back in the morning to check on you and give you an update. But right now, your mate really just needs you to get some sleep.”

                “Okay,” Steve agrees, and drags himself to his feet. He stumbles into the next room over and passes out before he even hits the bed. Tony is the one to take off Steve’s boots and tuck him under the coverlet. And Steve is too far gone to see the pained, wistful look that Tony casts over his shoulder as he flips out the lights and heads for the jet.

 

 

                When Steve wakes, there’s someone bumping around in the kitchen. He can hear it because his room is right above the kitchen, which he did on purpose because he expected to be doing most of the cooking, and he didn’t want to have to wake anybody else up if Tony or Coulson should stay the night.

                Steve sits up and stretches, thinks he should probably go downstairs and see if Coulson decided to drop in or, god forbid, if Tony is trying to make breakfast. Or upgrade the toaster. Steve gets up quickly and changes into clothes from his duffle bag that Tony left by the foot of his bed. Steve hopes for Coulson or a toaster that launches rockets and makes julienne fries. Anything but Tony in the kitchen.

                But it isn’t Tony or Coulson in the kitchen.

                It’s Bucky.

                Steve almost doesn’t recognize him. He’s got his hair in a ponytail, for one, and he’s freshly showered and shaved. He’s got on a sleeveless blue tank-top and faded jeans, and the usual jacket is nowhere in sight. There’s still a glove on his metal hand, but the other is uncovered and busy whisking a bowl of batter. There’s a pan sizzling on the stovetop, and apple peels and egg shells litter the countertop.

                Bucky glances at him and smiles, his face open and relaxed, all charm and swagger like he always was.

                And Steve feels like he’s been punched in the gut. Thrown back in time. Punched through time? He’s not sure. He’s not sure of anything right now.

                “Hey kid,” Bucky says, and his voice still has that same soft whisper of Brooklyn accent that the Winter Soldier never had. “Come pull up a seat. Breakfast is almost done.”

                Steve thinks he might be dreaming. He takes a seat at the island anyway.

                “Hope you like pancakes,” Bucky says, and Steve thinks he’s probably dreaming. It’s the only real explanation.

                “What’s-” Steve tries, but can’t quite get his mouth to form words. Finally, he forces out, “What’s going on?”

                “Just finished training, huh?” Bucky says, and he gives Steve a sympathetic look. “It’s okay. Listen, when he gets here, just do whatever he says, alright? You look tough, kid. You’ll be alright.”

                “When who gets here?” Steve asks, his eyes narrowed and his body tensing for a fight. He’s a little on edge. Bucky frowns at him.

                “Don’t try to fight ‘em,” Bucky says seriously. “Didn’t they teach you anything? You never fight him.”

                “Him who?”

                “Your alpha,” Bucky growls as he turns to flip the pancakes.

                “Who’s alpha?”

                “Yours,” Bucky says, then shrugs. “Mine too, I guess. Unless they send two, but they usually don’t, so we’ll probably be sharing an alpha until they need to split us up. Then we get to do this whole song and dance again.”

                “I’m sorry,” Steve says, and he finds himself on his feet. “I’m not sure I’m following. What song and dance? What alpha?”

                “Damn, you are green, aren’t you?” Bucky asks. He’s turned back around now, and his eyes are scanning over Steve’s form in dismay and pity. “I didn’t even think they could still make soldiers like us. This your first time?” he asks, and Steve can only shrug, because he honestly doesn’t know. “Sit down while I finish cooking and then I’ll explain everything.”

                Steve sits, because he’s not going to interrupt Bucky’s cooking. He sits and rubs his temples before grabbing his cell and shooting Tony a text. The message reads: _Bucky’s acting strange but not hostile. Will keep you apprised. Any progress with Hydra’s papers? Yours Truly, Steve Rogers._

                “So what are we having?” Steve asks, because the kitchen smells amazing.

                “Well, there was only one apple, so I’m having apple pancakes. But I’ve got plenty of batter left, so I could make you something else?”

                “There’s chocolate chips in the cupboard,” Steve says, and tries not to feel too disappointed about the apple pancakes. Apples are Steve’s favorite, and Bucky used to make him apple strudel pancakes before he went into heat, to put some weight on the omega. The recipe used thicker pancake batter with finely chopped apple pieces in it, fried lightly in butter and topped with maple syrup and a crumb topping that gave the soft, crispy pancakes a delicious crunch. Bucky would always eat chocolate chip pancakes when Steve ate the apple ones, because he said the apple ones were too sweet. Steve hasn’t had them since before Bucky fell. He’d been pretty sure he’d never have them again.

                Bucky finds the chocolate chips and tosses a handful into the batter. While Steve’s pancakes cook, Bucky takes a bite of his own pancakes, and then makes a face of disgust.

                “Damn,” he growls, “I must have put too much sugar in them. They’re awful,” he says, and shoves them toward the end of the island. Steve catches them before the plate can go over the edge and hit the trash can.

                “Don’t waste them,” he chastises, trying to seem nonchalant. “I’ll eat it if you don’t want them.”

                “Suit yourself,” Bucky says with a shrug, and turns back to the chocolate chip pancakes.

                Steve bites into his pancakes while Bucky’s back is turned, and he’s glad that Bucky can’t seem him because he’s pretty sure that he wouldn’t be able to hide the sheer pleasure on his face. He just barely keeps himself from moaning, and he feels tears pooling at the corners of his eyes. It’s everything he’d remembered, only so much better because it’s happening now, when everything else from his memories is so far gone. It tastes like a time when he’d been happy. When he’d been loved.

                “Glad I didn’t screw these ones up,” Bucky says around a mouthful of chocolate chip pancakes as he settles on the other side of the island with a glass of milk and a stack of pancakes. Steve hurries to school his expression into something a little less worshipful of his breakfast. “You sure those are okay?”

                “Yeah!” Steve says, and then with a little less emphasis, “I- Umm, I really like apple pancakes. These are good.”

                “Glad somebody could stomach them,” Bucky says with a grin that’s so open and natural that Steve feels like he’s been punched in the gut. For a second, everything falls away, and he’s a scrawny teenager again falling for his dashing alpha roommate in a tiny flat in Brooklyn. Then the light glints off of Bucky’s metal hand as he lifts his fork, and the illusion is broken.

                “S-so you said someone is coming?” Steve prompts, surprised at how off-balance he is. Bucky nods and takes a drink of milk.

                “Higher ups are gonna send an alpha to bond with us.”

                “When?” Because Steve will definitely have a surprise for any asshole Hydra alpha who dares to show his face

                “When we go into heat, of course,” Bucky replies with a snort of derision, like it’s the dumbest question he’s heard all day. Steve pauses with his fork halfway to his mouth and just stares at Bucky, wondering how much of this is memories that Bucky only has pieces of, how much of it is the influence of all those broken bonds, and how much is just Bucky’s mind being pushed too far.

                “You don’t- Umm, you don’t look much like an omega,” Steve says evenly.

                “You’re pretty tough-looking yourself,” Bucky says with a grin. “Don’t let the shell fool you, I used to be the scrawniest, scrappiest little omega you’d ever seen. Then I signed on for all this and, well, you can see the result. Stronger, faster, accelerated healing. All the good stuff.”

                “How’d you lose the arm?” Steve finds himself questioning. He knows the answer, but he wants to see what Bucky says.

                “I…” Bucky hesitates, his brow creasing in a frown. “An accident, I think.”

                It’s the correct answer, technically, but Steve can tell that Bucky isn’t sure. Steve is relieved that Bucky is at least regaining some of his memories, although he seems to be confusing Steve’s memories for his own. Maybe it’s because their bond is just starting to mend? Steve hopes that Bucky’s mind will stabilize if they remain in close contact. Perhaps Steve can prompt Bucky’s memories back into order?

                “Do you remember me at all?” Steve questions. It makes Bucky sigh.

                “Listen, kid, if we worked together in the past, I don’t remember you. They don’t let me keep memories of specific people, just facts and vague impressions. When you bond again, you’ll see. Everything else just fades into the background, and all that’s left is commands and emptiness.”

                Steve hesitates just a moment as he absorbs that information. Then he says, “You and I used to be mates.”

                “They got your head all torn up, don’t they?” Bucky scoffs, but Steve can tell that he’s getting agitated. “We can’t be mates. We’re the same gender.”

                Steve holds his comment about same-gender mates being a possibility now, because he doesn’t want to stir up Bucky’s memories of Pierce or any other alpha handler he’s been forcibly bitten by. Instead, Steve says, “You’re not an omega, Bucky. You’re an alpha.”

                Bucky huffs and pushes away from the table. Steve goes lax as Bucky storms over to his side of the counter, stays limp as Bucky fists Steve’s shirt in his hands and drags him in until they’re nearly nose to nose. It’s only when Bucky pulls him close, when Steve’s nose presses against Bucky’s throat and directly against Bucky’s scent-gland, that Steve begins to struggle.

                Because Steve doesn’t know that scent.

                Or, actually, he _does._ It’s Bucky’s scent.

                But it smells like an omega.

                Steve swallows and pulls back, feels a wave of dizziness roll over him and ignores it. Bucky isn’t an omega. Steve knows this. They’ve been lovers, they’ve been – _they ARE mates!_ Bucky is an alpha, and whatever Hydra did to him can’t change that.

                “Smelling like an omega doesn’t mean you are one,” Steve growls.

                Bucky gives a little growl of impatience and rolls his eyes, then pops the button on his jeans. Steve is completely caught by surprise when Bucky grabs Steve’s hand and shoves it down the front of his pants.

                “The hell-!”

                “That’s not something they can mask, is it?” Bucky snarls. Steve realizes that his hand is cupping Bucky’s cock. A cock that is just as smooth and long as Steve remembers, but one that is missing the telltale bump of an alpha’s knot.

                Steve makes a sound of distress and yanks his hand back, but Bucky has an arm around Steve’s waist and is pinning Steve against his chest. This is too much. It’s all just too much and he feels like he’s losing his grip. Steve’s head swirls. His knees buckle, and suddenly it’s only the unyielding metal arm around his waist that’s holding him up.

                “Shh,” comes Bucky’s soft voice, and suddenly his grip is gentler, like he’s holding Steve instead of restraining him. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” Bucky says, and actually sounds contrite. “I’m sure your head’s even more messed up than mine, and mine’s pretty damn screwed.”

                Steve doesn’t know what to do, so he stays nearly limp in Bucky’s arms, just barely keeping himself on his feet. And when Bucky leans in and rubs his face along Steve’s throat, Steve is helpless to resist the temptation. His body tingles with need as his mate – _his_ mate, damnit – rubs along Steve’s throat in a way that makes his entire body feel warm.

                “If we share the same alpha, we’re gonna get a lot closer than this. Maybe we should start now?” Bucky says wickedly, and his lips are only inches away from Steve’s own. Steve wants this, in a way that he hasn’t wanted anything in a very long time. But he knows that what Bucky’s offering and what Steve’s yearning for aren’t remotely the same things.

                With a noise of desperation, Steve takes a stumbling step backwards and then flees the kitchen. The sound of Bucky’s laughter follows him even as the front door slams front behind him.

 

 

                “What the hell is going on!” Steve shouts into the phone. He’s taken seventeen laps around the property, and has finally collapsed from exhaustion. Panting, he dialed Tony’s number, and then Coulson’s. Tony had been smart enough not to pick up.

                “Calm down, Captain Rogers,” Coulson directs calmly. “We have new information on Mr. Barnes, and one of us will be with you shortly. Until then, it’s imperative that you remain close to him.”

                “Oh, we were pretty damn close!” Steve growls into the phone.

                “I am aware that this is a stressful situation, Captain. However, please be aware that we have numerous agents, doctors, and specialists looking into Mr. Barnes’ case. Believe me, we are doing everything we can to help you.”

                Hearing those words shouldn’t help, because Steve is aware that people are looking into Hydra’s files about Bucky, but somehow it makes him feel better. Maybe it’s just talking to someone, or knowing that backup is on the way, but Steve feels marginally more able to handle Bucky.

                “How long until we know more?” Steve asks.

                “We’re having a meeting about Bucky’s case right now. We should be able to debrief you this evening. But it is imperative that you keep Bucky within eyesight. Do you understand? Do not leave him alone.”

                “Roger that,” Steve responds before disconnecting. He bolts for the house, unsure what state he’ll find Bucky in.

                He’s certainly not expecting the find the dark-haired man lounging on the sofa, shirtless and shoeless and watching something on the flat-screen. Steve’s not even sure how he got it to work – Is there a remote somewhere?

                “Hey man, I found Animal Planet,” Bucky calls. He’s stretched out along the length of the couch, a glass of iced tea in his hand, a light sheen of sweat on his skin. Steve wonders if he’s done his own sort of training while Steve had been doing sprints. His metal arm glints in the light, and it’s one of the few times he’s seen it uncovered. The sight of the puckered flesh where the arm attaches and the bite marks from all Bucky’s previous matings upset Steve, but he does his best not to show it.

                “Yeah?” Steve asks, because it would be impolite not to respond.

                “They’ve got a show about lions. I love lions. Not really sure why.” Bucky says and his eyes narrow like he’s trying to find the memory of when he first started having a passion for lions. Steve stays quiet, hoping the memory will surface, but eventually Bucky shrugs and says, “Just always have, I guess.”

                Steve tries not to feel disappointed at the holes in Bucky’s memories. After all, they’re leaps and bounds further than they were just two days ago, when he was still a stone-faced killer.

                “Is there any more tea?” Steve asks. Steve thinks about a shower, but decides that he doesn’t want to leave Bucky longer than necessary. Instead, Steve shrugs out of his own shirt, which is stained with sweat, and pulls off his shoes and socks. If Bucky’s going to be causal, Steve isn’t going to complain.

                “Yeah, in the fridge. You gonna watch this with me?”

                “Don’t have anything better to do,” Steve replies, and grabs a bag of chips with his tea. He settles at the other end of the couch and set the bag between them. Bucky grins in a way that puts butterflies in Steve’s stomach and grabs a handful of chips. And Steve finds himself actually smiling for the first time since Bucky turned back up.

                Steve does not intend to spend all evening watching TV, eating chips, and sipping sweet tea. But the lion documentary ends and Jarvis offers to cue up a baseball game – 1947 World Series Yankees vs Dodgers – and Steve just can’t resist. After that, Bucky wants to watch something funny, and they end up running in sprints through Charlie Chaplin, the Three Stooges, and Bugs Bunny cartoons.

                “You think we should go make some lunch?” Steve asks. He’s on his third glass of iced tea, but it’s not really doing much to cool him down. The thought of trying to cook something nauseates him. He wonders if Tony has any of those microwave meals stocked. He probably does. “Or, actually, what time is it? Did we miss lunch?”

                “Yep, it’s nearly five. But I’d take a pass on dinner, too, if I were you,” Bucky says, and makes no move to get off of the couch. They’re sitting a friendly distance apart, not touching but close enough that they could touch if they wanted. The empty bag of chips stands guard on the couch between them, like a flimsy, empty barrier.

                “Why’s that?” Steve wonders, although he isn’t terribly hungry. The chips earlier had sat well in his stomach, and although that sensation has passed he’s still not really interested in eating.

                “Haven’t you noticed?” Bucky asks, quirking another sideways grin and fanning himself with a magazine that he found on the table.

                “Noticed what?”

               “You’re in heat, buddy. We both are.”

               

 

                At 8PM, there’s no denying that Steve is going into a full-blown heat. He’s overheated with the air-conditioner going at full blast and despite three cold showers. He’s nauseated and can’t hold down anything but tea and water. And his cock’s hard as a rock despite receiving no stimulation.

                “How did this happen?” Steve wonders. He’s not even sure, himself, if he’s talking about this heat in particular or just his life in general. “I mean… How did this happen? I never go into heat this fast! And I’m not even due!”

                “I told ya,” Bucky grumbles from the other side of the couch, still splayed out. His own cock is now tenting in his borrowed jeans, and Steve has to hope that those clothes were meant to be extra, because they’re probably so soaked in heat-scent already that they’ll have to be burned. “You go into heat when they need to pair you with a new handler. It’s either The Freeze or The Bond, kid, and you don’t get a choice about which one happens. Looks like they’re going to need us, so you can be damn sure there’s going to be an alpha here in the next couple hours.”

                They hear a jet land outside roughly three hours later, and Bucky’s immediately on his feet. He paces to the door and kneels in front of it, with his head down in the worst, most submissive omega position Steve has even seen. It doesn’t help that Bucky is into full-fledge heat now, and the scent of his desire is making Steve dizzy with lust.

                “You don’t need to do that. I’m telling you, there’s no way an alpha is going to find us here.”

                Bucky ignores him. Steve sighs and goes to open the door, and is immediately assaulted by the strong scent of an alpha. Steve takes an involuntary step backwards, his hands clench into fists as he tenses for an attack.

                But it’s Tony on the front step, covered in alpha-scent. He’s in a snappy suit and wearing reflective sunglasses, which he only does when he plans to be a hardass during negotiations. He glances at Steve over the top of his shades, then pushes passed Steve and into the room. Behind him, Steve can see Coulson and a medic unloading equipment from the jet.

                When Steve turns around, Tony is standing over Bucky, looking down at the omega, who is casting a wary stare at the man above him.

                “I’m alpha Stark,” Tony says, his words tight and confident, and Steve knows that Tony talks like an alpha because it makes the board members listen, but he doesn’t like hearing that tone used on Bucky. “I’ve been sent to replace alpha Pierce as your handler. Access code 0184. Asset designation Winter Soldier, do you submit?”

                “I submit,” Bucky says, and lowers his eyes to the floor. Tony turns to Steve and says, “Asset designation The Captain, do you submit?”

                Steve freezes. He isn’t sure what’s going, what game Tony’s playing. Is he supposed to surrender? Or should he refuse? He doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand any of this.

                But he does trust Tony. So when Tony mouths the words, “Trust me,” at him, Steve nods and kneels next to Bucky. He lowers his head and says something he’s never told an alpha before in his life.

                “I submit.”

 

 

                “Okay, can someone please tell me what’s going on?”

                Steve’s pretty proud of himself. He’s managed to wait until he’s outside to ask, he hasn’t sworn or hit anyone, and he’s not shouting. But even he can feel his patience running thin.

                “Let me give you the short version,” Tony offers, taking off the reflective sunglasses to meet Steve’s gaze with his own, red-rimmed stare. “Bucky needs an alpha.”

                “What Tony is trying to say,” interrupts Coulson before Steve can rip into Tony, “is that we have new information on the situation. The documents we found detailed what Hydra did to make sure Bucky’s obedient. Basically, he’s either supposed to be bonded to an alpha or frozen. If he isn’t frozen or bonded to a new alpha within a 48 hour window, he’s supposed to kill himself. Wait,” Coulson says, holding up a hand to stop Steve’s protests that Bucky would never do that. “We don’t know how much of your Bucky is left after the bond is broken, although we can be fairly sure that he’s more himself this time because of the bond he has with you. But we don’t know if that will be enough to keep him from following this command, and we don’t want to risk it. As far as we can tell, nothing will end this heat until Bucky has been bonded. So, we have to introduce a new alpha.”

                “Tony isn’t an alpha,” Steve protests, “And Bucky knows that Tony’s an omega!”

                “He won’t remember any of us. The bond-break did a total wipe of his memories and set him up for a new partner. It’s how he’s managed to bond so many times without dying.”

                “But Tony’s an omega!”

                “The files say that the Asset can be tricked into accepting a beta for his alpha is they use alpha-pheromone spray and a knotting dildo on him. We can probably substitute Tony’s knotting ring for the dildo with better effects.”

                “I don’t… Couldn’t it have been me?” Steve asks. “Couldn’t we have set me up as Bucky’s alpha?”

                “It was already too late by the time we found this information. JARVIS relayed us your conversation this morning, and we knew that Bucky had already accepted you as an omega partner. We don’t know how to wipe his memory, so there isn’t any way to change his knowledge and we’re not sure what that kind of wipe does to his mind anyway.”

                “So, you just picked someone for me at random?”

                “We thought,” Coulson says gently, “that Tony would be the best choice since the two of you have already been intimate. If you want, we could…”

                “No,” Steve cuts off, because he doesn’t want to hear options that include unfamiliar alphas being near his mate, “you’re right. Tony’s the only one I could feel comfortable with. So how-… What do we do from here?”

                “What I’m good at!” Tony crows. “We wing it!”

                “Again,” Phil says, a hint of exasperation stealing into his voice, “what Tony is actually trying to say is that we’re not entirely sure. Bucky is not actually an omega, so this is not actually a heat and he doesn’t need the same hormones a normal omega would. You don’t either, by the way.”

                “Yeah,” Steve says, “I kind of figured out that it’s a sympathy-heat. I’ve just never been susceptible to them before.” Sympathy heats tend to only happen in very tight-knit groups of omegas in close quarters. Even then, it’s rare, but sometimes a whole group can go into heat at close to the same time, even when some of them aren’t due. It’s never happened to Steve before.

                “Omega mates, especially omega mates in a poly-bond, are more likely to go into sympathy heats.”

                “Speaking of bonds,” Steve says softly, trying to gently ease the conversation open. He sees Tony’s shoulders tense the moment the word “bond” leaves his lips. So there’s his answer.

                “Yes,” Phil says calmly, “Bucky will need to bond with his pseudo-alpha. It actually has very little to do with the exchange of chemicals omegas normally produce, and more to do with his neurological enhancements. Bucky doesn’t actually need alpha hormones because he already has enough of them in his bloodstream from being a former-alpha. However, his brain needs to recognize that he’s bonded to his alpha-handler or it will try to shut down.”

                “I see,” Steve says slowly, but Tony jumps in.

                “Listen, it’s not going to be a big deal, okay? I’ve got enough to do, there’s no reason for me to go sneaking around in his brain, alright?”

                “Our research indicates that the Winter Soldier was conditioned not to give a return bite,” Phil says quietly, and Steve tries not to think too hard about what “conditioned” might mean. “It’s unlikely that he’ll try to bite either one of you, but you’ll need to be ready to stop him if he tries. You could muzzle him, but…”

                Steve is already shaking his head. “I won’t let you tie him up or muzzle him while we mate him. I don’t want anything we do to be similar to what Hydra did to him. If that’s in the plan, then we’ll have to make a new strategy.”

                “It’s not something I would endorse,” Phil replies, “but you have to know that there is some risk of a full bond this way. Bucky could attempt and succeed to bite either one of you.”

                “I wouldn’t mind,” Steve says softly. “It’s not like it’s the first time.”

                Their eyes are drawn to Tony, who’s scuffing the dirt with his designer shoes and trying to seem nonchalant. He shrugs his shoulder and grins.

                “Whatever happens, happens, you know? I don’t want it, but I won’t watch him die. If I get bonded, we’ll deal with it.”

                Steve knows there’s more to this statement than Tony’s actually saying. He knows that there are layers on layers of fears and phobias covering the reasons that Tony doesn’t want to bond. But he also knows that Bucky is waiting, and that his life might be in danger. So he swallows his worries and asks, “What do we do from here?”

                “Mission: Get Steve laid is commencing,” Tony tries to tease, but it comes off brittle and tired. “All we gotta do now is get the dirty on and bite that sexy piece of meat in there.”

                “We? You want me to bite him as well?”

                “It would be best,” Phil interjects, “if you form a triad, with Tony forming a bond with Bucky and you rebonding to him. Your renewed bite with Bucky will help to stabilize the new bond with Tony. You are not required to bite each other, although it might help.”

                Steve and Tony share a look, because this is far from how they’d imagined broaching the subject of biting with each other. Steve is wary, but it’s nothing like the outright fear on Tony’s face. The fear is quickly replaced by determination, though, and Steve thinks it would be nice if Tony didn’t look like he is about to go on a suicide mission. But who knows? Maybe he is.

               

 

                It’s three hours later. Coulson and the medic are in the jet for the night, within range to help but not close enough to bother the mating group. Steve and Bucky have showered, and now they’re lounging naked in the house’s nesting spot, trying to get it covered in as much scent as possible before the instinct to breed overtakes them. Steve is still trying to get his head around all the changes in dynamics between him, his mate, and his lover.

                The nest is in the traditional style, more function than beauty. It’s a good sized room with no furniture and no windows, done in the same rich wood panels as the rest of the house. It’s lit by several small, wall-mounted lamps that can be dimmed or lighted appropriately. There’s a drop in the floor about a foot deep, circular and roughly eight feet in diameter. It’s sloped at the edges and covered on all sides in thick padding. The bottom is firm enough to walk on but as soft as a pillow-topped mattress. From the ceiling, heavy draperies hang down and wrap around the back of the nest. It would be easy to pull them shut the whole way around. There are doors on two sides of the nest, giving the occupants two ways to escape if the need should arise. The room feels like a bolt-hole, a place where they can be protected and isolated without being trapped. Steve thinks it might be perfect.

                Tony comes in wrapped in a towel, fresh from the shower and positively reeking of alpha pheromones. Apparently, he’s taking no chances that Bucky will reject him as an alpha. Steve crinkles his nose, because Bucky’s omega smell and Tony’s alpha scent are combining to give him a headache and a very confused erection.

                “He’s not bad,” Bucky says softly, nodding his head with a half-grin in Tony’s direction. “Young, fit, little skinny. Not sure what that thing in his chest is, or why he’s got a ring on his cock. Still, better than the last one. Old guy, I think. Bad temper.”

                Steve nods because he doesn’t want to dissuade Bucky from talking. He’s still not used to this Bucky, the one who shares and laughs easily. He’s still too familiar with the dark and brooding assassin who inhabited his home for months before now.

                “Seriously, what’s up with that?” Bucky asks, cocking his head to the side. It takes Steve a moment to follow Bucky’s line of sight to Tony’s crotch.

                “Oh! That,” Steve says, again uncertain. It’s becoming a pattern, and he doesn’t like it. But how to explain Tony’s unknotted cock?

                “Hey!” Tony barks, his voice laced with an alpha’s deep growl. “Don’t worry about my cock. It might not be fully functioning,” he says, and gabs his crotch in a gesture of masculine bravado, “but it’s more than enough satisfy a pair of omegas.”

                Bucky’s not himself, but he’s not stupid either. He jumps on “not fully functioning” and arches an eyebrow, quirking his lips.

                “What the hell did you do to your dick? Get a knot stuck somewhere it shouldn’t be?”

                “Lab accident,” Tony says with a shrug that’s just angry and dismissive enough to seem real. It lends some credit to his lie, that there seems to be a long history associated with the injury that Tony doesn’t want to talk about. “You two ready?”

                Bucky steps forward, and Steve doesn’t know if it’s an aggressive gesture or a protective one, but he hope for the latter.

                “I’m ready,” Bucky says without flinching, then nods his head in Steve’s direction. “This one’s taking longer to heat up, so I’ll go first.”

                It’s a demand that the soldier would never have made, and an expectation of obedience that isn’t normal for the omega they’ve tried to make him into. Steve can see the unease in Bucky’s form, the way he holds himself like he plans to dodge any second. He’s expecting Tony to lash out. Is that the expectation of alphas that they’ve given him? Steve wouldn’t be surprised, but it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

                “Eager?” Tony quips, and his grin falls into something more natural. “Not a problem with me.”

                Then Tony’s stepping into Bucky’s space and Bucky is tensing up, his shoulders rising with anxiety even as he refuses to take a step back. Nose to nose, the two are similar in height, but Bucky is broader and more heavily muscled. Tony’s lean and agile, but he’s no match for the larger brunette. If it comes to violence, Bucky could wipe the floor with Tony.

                Tony leans in, brushing his lips against Bucky’s. Steve realizes with a pang that it’s probably Bucky’s first kiss in this new era, and Bucky does nothing to dissuade that opinion when he opens his eyes comically wide and stares at Tony’s face less than inches from his own. It passes quickly, though, and Bucky’s eyes slip shut. His shoulders relax. His body sags forward incrementally, moving into Tony’s space. His cock hardens slowly, and Tony moves forward to put his thigh between Bucky’s legs, giving him something to rub against. Bucky moans against Tony’s mouth, his hands hovering beyond Tony’s shoulders, grasping but not daring to reach.

                Steve isn’t surprised by how quickly this is moving, not with Bucky in heat. (Steve is still having trouble with that, despite all the evidence in front of him.) Phil had already mentioned that this will be fast, that Bucky is a soldier and Hydra likely didn’t plan for him to have a weekend-long honeymoon to take the bite on. The sight of Bucky and Tony wrapped around each other, now chest to chest as the kiss deepens, sends a wave of heat straight to Steve’s groin, and Steve blushes at his own reaction.

                Tony’s pushing things along. His hands come up and run down Bucky’s sides, eliciting a moan from the other man. Two steps back, and they’re both stepping down into the nest. Bucky’s hips thrust against Tony’s leg, giving him a teasing amount of friction. Tony guides Bucky to take a step back, breaks the kiss as Bucky slides to the ground. Tony follows with a grace that reminds Steve that this isn’t the first time Tony has played alpha for a fellow omega in need. With a blush, Steve remembers the cries and the pleasure of the heat he spent writhing on the Stark’s artificially knotted cock.

                Bucky pulls Tony on top, and from an outside perspective it looks like Tony is riding the larger man beneath him. It’s tempting, Tony thinks, because damn! That cock is gorgeous. Even slim and unknotted as it is, it still makes Tony’s ass feel an ache of emptiness. But Tony know that this isn’t about his wants, however strong the urges are, so he thrusts his body along Bucky’s and rubs their cocks together, feeling the easy slide of skin against skin.

                “Hey, Cap,” Tony calls, because he can see out of the corner of his eye that Steve’s posture has gone from interested to awkward, and knows that Steve is probably minutes from backing quietly out the door. Steve is the best at convincing himself that he’s not wanted, even when it’s not true. “Think you could give a guy a hand?”

                “’Course,” Steve says immediately, and steps down into the nest. Bucky is lying back against the side, his eyes hooded and his face flushed, his cock rock hard and leaking pearly liquid down the length. “What should I do?”

                “Lie down on your back,” Tony instructs. “You know how to suck a cock, soldier?” he asks, and Steve knows that it’s a warning of what Tony’s planning, not an actual question. Tony is well aware of Steve’s skills in sucking a cock. But Bucky is still watching, so Steve nods his head as he lays back.

                “On your knees,” Tony says to Bucky, prodding until Bucky is on his knees above Steve, his cock dangling above Steve’s face, and Steve has no hesitation at pulling that cock into his mouth. Bucky moans and Steve can feel Bucky’s breath on his naval. Steve’s own cock throbs with need. The way Bucky’s body jerks, the way his skin shivers, the taste of his seed, and the sound of his quiet gasps almost undo Steve. It’s only by force of will that he keeps himself from orgasming untouched.

                Bucky is on his knees, straddling Steve’s face, his shoulders shaking as he just barely holds himself back from thrusting down into the omega’s mouth. His skin is flushed and covered in a light sheen of sweat. His metal arm glints, even in the dim lighting. Tony takes a moment to take in that sight, and the vision of creamy skin and blonde hair beneath the scarred brunet assassin. Steve in the throes of lust is a more familiar but just as welcome sight. Bucky this deep in his heat is something foreign to Tony, something aggressive and raw and sensual. Tony isn’t sure he can handle it, but he’s pretty sure he likes it.

                Then Tony moves and kneels behind Bucky, his knees sinking into the deep padding. His fingers run up the back of Bucky’s thigh as a silent warning to the soldier, then his fingers are teasing his hole and slipping inside. Bucky’s wet, almost sopping, his body clenching and pulling him deeper. He’s also tight. Tony thinks he probably hasn’t has a cock in a while. Maybe years. Maybe longer.

                Bucky shivers. Tony takes it as encouragement, sinking two fingers all the way in and thrusting slowly. Soon, he adds a third. Bucky’s body opens eagerly, and he shifts his stance wider, encouraging Tony to go deeper. Soon, Tony pulls his fingers out and lines up his cock. With the head of his cock against Bucky’s opening, Tony hesitates, unable to convince himself to go further. Deep down, Tony knows that he’s about to pass the point of no return. Better or worse, things between him and Steve (and Bucky, really) will never be the same again.

                “Please,” Bucky whimpers. “Please, sir.”

“You don’t have to beg,” Tony says, and he tries for flippant but his voice is too hoarse. He pushes forward anyway, easing in with torturous slowness. Bucky groans and drops his head, letting his forehead rest against Steve’s abdomen.

                Tony pauses when the ring hits Bucky’s entrance. The new model imi-knot hardly has any thickness when deflated, stays in place without a harness, delays orgasm until the omega’s completion has been detected, and automatically triggers to inflate at the omega’s completion. Still, Tony can feel the slight weight and coolness of the metal around his cock. He doesn’t want to startle Bucky by putting it right in.

                But Bucky seems to be the least concerned about it. With a growl of frustration, Bucky thrusts back against Tony, pushing the ring into his own body before shifting forward again and thrusting his cock into Steve’s mouth. Tony can feel his blood starting to pound, can feel his hips start to jerk more rapidly. The scent of heat is strong and Tony isn’t an alpha, but he’s turned on anyway. In moments, he’s pounding into the body beneath him. Bucky is screaming and thrashing, his hips snapping back to meet every thrust. Tony feels the pleasure build, but it’s not until Bucky lets out a yowl and his body clenches around Tony’s cock that Tony finds release. Like an alpha, Tony’s orgasm is seconds behind Bucky’s, his hips snapping against Bucky’s body, burying the imi-knot inside the omega. Bucky groans, low and long, as the knot begins to inflate.

                It’s in those moments of orgasm that the bite should be delivered. Omegas experience a nearly euphoric state, and alphas are almost impervious to pain. The knot makes it so that neither party can disengage, so that the bite has plenty of time to take. Tony knows this, from an intellectual standpoint. In reality, it’s a lot harder to grip Bucky’s flesh in his teeth, knowing that Bucky won’t return the bite.

                Tony knows what it’s like to have someone kick down the door to your brain. He knows what it’s like to have a stream of impulses coming out, and no way to send anything back. He knows that it feels like a river pouring into a mine shaft – filling every crevice, sweeping out the equipment, overflowing from every opening. It’s an awful thing, to be emptied out and filled with something else.

                Tony could never explain to Pepper why he always wanted to be in her mind instead of his own. How could he explain that he didn’t feel safe there, even by himself, and even less so when she was poking around? Even her praises, which came often and unprovoked, were viewed through a lens of manipulation. She’d thought that he didn’t trust her. In truth, he didn’t trust himself.

                “Tony?” Steve calls, his voice concerned. Even buried between Bucky’s legs, Steve can tell that something’s wrong. Tony shakes himself. Bucky needs this, and he’s damn-well not going to let Steve down.

                Bucky whimpers and grinds back against him, encouraging. Tony bites down hard enough to draw blood. Tony feels the tendrils of another mind twisting around the edges of his consciousness and fights his own knee-jerk reaction. His mind tries to shy away but he forces it to be still. Eventually, the other man’s mind quiets and settles. Tony knows that Buck can’t see him, that Bucky’s mind can’t bridge the gap into his consciousness like he could into Bucky’s, but the proximity of Bucky’s mind makes Tony feel a spike of anxiety. It’s been since Pepper… and that ended disastrously.

                The imi-knot deflates rapidly, and Tony pulls out and lets Bucky settle on his back. The omega has a sated smile on his face, despite everything, and Tony takes a moment to appreciate how much younger the other man looks with a crooked grin on his face. Then he remembers that they’ve got a plan they need to be following, and turns to Steve.

                “Are you ready?” Tony asks Steve, sounding a bit winded already. This is what Bucky’s expecting, the way this scenario plays out in his mind. First Tony bites Bucky, then he bites Steve. So now, in Bucky’s mind, it’s time for Steve to get fucked and bit.

                “Yeah,” Steve says, and his voice is shaky. There’s something strange going on in his mind, in the link he has with Bucky. It’s like something in his brain is shifting, and it has him off balance.

                “Can you go again?” Tony asks Bucky, who’s splayed bonelessly on his back. He nods, and Tony turns back to Steve and says, “Go for it,” with a shrug.

                The possibility of being inside of Bucky is more tempting than Steve can resist. He moves cautiously to kneel over the brunet, uncertain of his welcome, but Bucky just gives a tired smile and opens his arms. Steve crawls on top of him, laying his head on Bucky’s shoulder, sliding his cock into Bucky’s stretched and sopping hole. Bucky’s legs wrap around Steve’s waist, his hips canting up to give Steve easier access to his body. Steve hisses in pleasure, the heat and tightness of Bucky’s body sending ripples of pleasure through Steve’s form. Bucky’s flesh hand comes to Steve’s face and pulls him down for a kiss, while Steve feels Bucky’s metal hand settle at the small of his back. Their lips touch, and Steve wishes he could feel it through the bond, but flesh alone is almost as satisfying.

                Tony gets on his knees behind Steve, his fingers pushing into the omega’s hole. Steve’s wet, although not in the way he would be if he were actually in heat. Tony’s not squeamish. He buries his face in Steve’s ass, thrusting his tongue into Steve’s tight hole, laughing when Steve cries out and bucks against him. Tony thinks he could spend all day like this, licking Steve’s body into submission.

                Tony pulls back when Steve’s moans turn into pleading whimpers. He wipes his face on his arm and lines his cock up with Steve’s hole, pushing inside. There’s a familiarity to this that’s reassuring. Tony knows Steve’s body and the noises he makes when he’s pleased, so it takes the guess work out. There’s no hesitancy in the way Tony fucks Steve, not like there was with Bucky. Tony pushes in and then sets a vigorous pace, listening to Steve’s appreciative moans. Tony’s thrusts push Steve deeper into Bucky’s welcoming body, and it’s all Steve can do not to orgasm immediately. After only a few minutes of the double-sided assault, Steve lets the pleasure overwhelm him. He feels Tony’s artificial knot starts to inflate, Steve feels the overwhelming urge to sink his teeth into skin and meld minds with another person. He wants to _mate_ , damnit.

                But it isn’t Tony’s flesh that he wants. His teeth sink into Bucky’s neck, right over the mark he left when they were kids. Bucky groans, his body jerks, their connection suddenly flares to life. Like a radio turned on at full volume, the link screams in Steve’s head, then quickly quiets. There’s nothing coming through. It’s not static anymore, but it’s not anything else either.

                Steve feels kind of like his heart his breaking.

                Bucky shivers and Steve feels a small ripple through the bond, and he tries to remind himself that the bond is still there, that they still have a chance, and that waking Bucky’s memories might take time. It takes a superhuman effort to push down his own disappointment.

                Tony’s knot is still inflated and giving Steve’s body an amazing feeling of pleasure and security. Steve lets his body sag against Bucky’s and feels Tony press in against his back. Steve tries to see if he can feel Tony through his link with Bucky, but if Tony’s presence is there it’s too far away. Steve is too tired for that right now anyway. Everything feels softer and muted for the moment, Steve nuzzles his nose against Bucky, taking in the scent of his mate, feeling the firm body of his lover at his back.

                Steve thinks it’s probably his own fault to letting his guard down.

                But when Bucky rolls and flips them easily, putting his body over Tony and Steve’s tied ones, Steve is just as shocked as Tony, who makes a noise of surprised distress. Bucky’s hands settle on either side of their heads, bracketing the two beneath him, with Steve beside the metal fist. Steve and Tony are still knotted together on their sides, effectively restrained by their own bodies. Bucky’s legs are spread so that his knees bracket Steve and Tony’s, effectively trapping their lower bodies with the weight of his hips on their legs. Effectively and without any signs of prior intention, Bucky pins both the omegas beneath him.

                Steve realizes that he should have expected this. That just because Bucky didn’t return a bite to his handlers, doesn’t mean he didn’t want to.

                “Hang on a sec, Bucky,” Steve tries. “Let’s talk about this.” Steve tries to break free of Bucky’s hold, but he’s afraid of hurting Tony in the process. Steve can feel Bucky shifting, leaning toward Tony, even as Tony’s breathing turns to shallow gasps and his heart begins hammering in his chest.

                “Wait,” Tony says, his voice nearly panicked. “Wait, wait, you don’t-”

                “I do,” Bucky says softly, and then he’s leaning down over Tony and Tony screams, the sharp scent of blood fills the air. Steve jerks, but Bucky’s body is unmovable. In only a moment, Tony sags. It’s only the feel of Tony breath against Steve’s back that keeps Steve from panicking completely.

                Then Bucky turns to Steve, his lips still painted red with Tony’s blood, and Steve has never felt so guilty about wanting something so badly before. Bucky ducks his head, and Steve feels Bucky’s mouth and the sharp pain of the bite just a moment before everything fades away.

 

 

                Steve expects the bond to make Bucky’s consciousness return like a man surfacing from under the water. Steve expects it to be painful, like the first breath of air after fighting to the surface. He prepares himself for Bucky’s thrashing, knowing that he’ll be able to feel Bucky’s pain across their link.

                But when it happens, it’s more like Bucky wakes up from a long nap. Steve can feel Bucky’s shape unfurl (there’s always been something a bit canine about Bucky’s mental presence, with the teeth of a wolf but the loyalty of a dog) and shake himself. He stretches languidly before getting to his feet, padding toward Steve’s consciousness in a lethargic, I’ve-been-asleep-for-too-long way.

                _Hey punk,_ he says, _What’d I miss?_

                _Everything,_ Steve replies, and his voice is nearly hoarse with the overwhelming sense of longing and joy. He steps toward Bucky’s wolf form and rubs his face along Bucky’s muzzle, purring gently. Steve knows that real lions have no purr, but he’s not a real lion anyway and sometimes there’s just nothing that can express happiness and contentment like a purr. This is one of those times.

                Time loses all meaning inside the bond. It feels like ages that the two stand there, rubbing against each other, getting to know all the familiar scents and sounds. Everything is more exposed inside the bond, but somehow it’s less painful too, with another person to bare the pain with you. Steve can look back on his time without Bucky and not feel the crushing loneliness. Bucky can look back on his time with Hydra and not be overwhelmed by guilt and grief. And together, finally together, they can start to heal.

                It seems like a very long time, but not nearly long enough, before the pair become aware of the third presence in the bond. Bucky looks up first, sniffs the air, and asks, _Who’s ‘at?_

                And Steve curses and turns around, thinking _Shit!_ And _Tony!_ at the same time.

                Tony’s mental presence is completely unexpected. Steve had envisioned something striking and larger-than-life, like a stallion or a tiger. What he finds, instead, is diminutive in its mental presence. When Bucky pads over to inspect the newcomer to their mental link, Tony panics. The small form takes to the air, and Steve can only make out a shape that is vaguely bird-like. Or possibly a bat. Either way, Tony is so startled that his mental form smacks into a completely intangible mental wall before darting to the opposite wall.

                _Sorry, sorry,_ comes Tony’s mental voice, and Bucky thinks he’d like it more if it wasn’t so laced with panic. _Just let me find the exit. You know how these mental landscapes are. Ah, okay, see you guys later._

                And just as Tony finds the path back into his own headspace, Steve and Bucky get a sudden burst of _want need please no wrong not allowed hide hide_ before the other omega shuts the link firmly behind him.

                There’s a strong instinct to chase, but Steve resists and holds Bucky back. Chasing Tony into his own mind could be fraught with dangers, and would be too much of an invasion anyway. Instead, Steve and Bucky separate back into their own bodies, coming around just in time to see Tony’s retreating back disappear out the door.

                “This is… fucking weird,” Bucky growls. He’s looking at his metal arm with an expression of bewildered horror. “Last thing I remember, arm was gone and I was…” His sentence trails off and his eyes lose focus. Dulled through the link, Steve can feel flashes of pain and desperation through the link. He’s about to approach Bucky when Bucky shakes himself and throws off the memories. “Where’d he go?”

                “Uh,” Steve stutters. Of all the questions Bucky could have asked – all the possible things he might want to know about – Steve hadn’t been prepared for him to be worried about Tony.

                “What was that all about?” Bucky asks, not dissuaded by Steve’s hesitancy.

                “Tony’s a little… bond-shy. He’s… How much do remember from before you woke up?”

                “It’s all there,” Bucky says, and his face is carefully blank in a way that Steve knows means that he’s pushing down whatever emotions he has associated with it in favor of getting through. “It’s like watching a film, though. I can see everything, but it doesn’t feel like it’s me, even though it is. It’s…” Bucky says, and his eyes close and Steve can feel a spike of pain in his mate, “It’s going to take some getting used to.” Bucky frowns. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

                “Tony… He’s had some bad experiences with bonding.”

                “That’s because he was never bonded to us.”

                “Buck…”

                “Go get him,” Bucky demands. “He’s ours. I don’t care about anything else.”

                “I don’t know if he wants to be bonded, Buck.”

                “Well it’s too damn late for that!” Bucky growls. “He’s already bonded to us. There’s no running from that Steve. And ignoring it won’t do any damn good. Bring him back here. I’ll go after him myself, if I need to, but he’s more likely to listen to you.”

                “I…” Steve hesitates. “I don’t know if he will come back, but I can try.”

                “Tell him we just want to talk,” Bucky suggests. “I know you felt how much he wants this bond. He’ll come back, and then we’ll convince him that it’s safe. He’s safer with us than anyone else.”

                “He just... Buck, he just had a broken bond a few months back. He did this to help me, but I’m not sure he’s ready to be in a bond again.”

                “Bullshit,” Bucky growls, and Steve can tell that he’s getting ready to get on his feet and go after Tony himself. “You felt what I did. Some fuckshit alpha just couldn’t handle him, and ran off. You don’t fucking give up on an omega because they’ve got problems. And you certainly don’t give up on an omega like Tony.”

                “Okay,” Steve says, trying to appease Bucky. He doesn’t protest that Pepper probably did all she could, even though he believes it. Believes it, but thinks that he and Bucky are probably better equipped to handle Tony than she ever was. They’re certainly messed up enough to understand him, anyway. “I’ll try,” he promises, and leaves Bucky in the nest to go find their wayward omega.

                Tony has only made it as far as the kitchen, where he’s pouring himself a tall glass of scotch. He salutes Steve as he comes in, then downs the tall glass and fills himself another.

                “Rough night, Capsicle?” Tony quips. “Shouldn’t you still be on your honeymoon?”

                “Buck sent me to bring you back,” Steve says. Tony gives a hollow chuckle.

                “Is this old-school sentimentality? I’m not some blushing virgin. I’ll be okay, Cap. Tell Bucky that I’ve got it under control.”

                “I don’t think it’s about that, Tony,” Steve argues. “I think he just wants to try and see where this leads. We’re already bonded. It’s not like we can ignore it.”

                “We can sure as hell try,” Tony says, and Steve can feel his pain even without the help of a bond.

                “Please,” Steve implores. “Come back with me. We can make this work.”

                “Steve,” Tony says slowly, like he’s talking to a child. “You don’t want me. I’m a mess. I’m a serial bond-breaker,” Steve thinks that probably isn’t being very fair. Two isn’t more than unfortunate happenstance.

                “If you think you’re too messed up for a man from the forties and his brainwashed, alpha-turned-omega mate, then you’re seriously naive.”

                “You’ve never dealt with anyone like me!” Tony snarls. “Even Pepper couldn’t deal with me!”

                “Pepper didn’t have the necessary experience to help you. We’re not like that. We understand everything you’ve been through. Come back,” Steve says softly. “Let us lick your wounds like real mates.” Steve reaches out and brushes his fingers over the sluggishly bleeding bite mark on Tony’s neck. “Give us a chance, and you won’t regret it.”

                Steve can’t feel Tony’s emotions, but he sends a question to Bucky and Bucky sends back a mixture of longing and fear that he’s feeling from Tony. Steve tries to keep himself steady, keep his expression neutral.

                Finally, Tony huffs and slams his drink down on the counter. He hunches his shoulders and mutters, “You’re both fucking stupid.” But he heads back to the nest.

                Once he gets there, Bucky pounces. Apparently not chasing the Stark heir was the limit of Bucky’s restraint, because he pins the brunette beneath him. Tony, for his part, doesn’t struggle. Instead, he throws Steve a look of exasperation and tolerates Bucky’s pushiness. When Bucky laps at the wound on Tony’s neck, Tony’s eyes slip closed in pleasure.

                “I’ll be the link between you two,” Bucky says softly, already shifting to lie beside Tony. Steve moves in along Tony’s other side, bracketing him in the middle. Bucky opens the link, and then he and Steve are standing in the forest, the lion and the wolf, waiting for Tony.

                Tony comes in hesitantly, like he expects to be ejected at any point. He’s a bird again- although Steve’s not so sure it is a bird now. It lands on the other side of a tree – they’re in a forest again. It’s usually a forest, or the apartment in Brooklyn – and disappears from sight. Moments later, there’s an animal slinking out from the bottom of the tree, long and thin and definitely not a bird.

                _Did you know he could do that?_ Bucky asks, but Steve just shakes his head. The ability to have multiple mental forms – more than just a human form and an animal one – is rare. Steve’s heard that it’s more common in people with high intelligence, but he’s never seen it first-hand.

                The animal comes to stand in front of them, and Steve can see now that it’s a ferret, white with black markings and a black mask. Bucky goes to investigate first, sniffing at Tony while Tony paws at his face with his tiny hands. Steve moves in before they’ve finished, taking a moment while Tony is distracted to let his senses run all over the new presence. But the familiarity of Tony, even in this form, is far from strange or unpleasant.

                _So is it just the two forms?_ Bucky asks. _The rat and the bird._

 _I am a ferret, thank you,_ Tony replies, his voice affronted but there’s amusement coming off of him. _And the other one’s a bat. A flying fox, to be precise. And I’ve been snake a couple times, but I don’t know what kind. Just a snake-snake, I guess._

                _It suits you,_ Steve says, his lion form gently nudging the ferret with his nose.

                _So is this all you guys do in here? Like, hang out as animals?_ Tony asks.

                _Sometimes,_ Steve says _, sometimes we play or run through old memories. Make new ones. What did you used to do in your bond?_

                Steve regrets the question immediately, as Tony’s ferret form hunches down and makes itself smaller.

                _Fight with Pep, mostly._

 _That’s not going to happen with us,_ Bucky says sternly.

                _So what are we supposed to be doing?_ Tony asks. His ferret form seems to be constantly moving.

                _Talking,_ Steve responds immediately. _Getting to know each other._

 _You already know me,_ Tony reminds. _So does Bucky, if he remembers any of it._

 _I remember,_ Bucky says. _I was catatonic, not dead._

_So what are we doing?_

                Tony’s ferret form paces agitatedly. Steve’s amazed at how much it resembles Tony, constantly moving and endlessly curious.

                Outside of the link, Steve can feel Tony is in his arms. In reality, in the world outside the nexus of their minds, Tony is lying with his head on Steve’s shoulder. Bucky is just beyond Tony, with his hand on Tony’s hip, his fingers splayed and twined with Steve’s.

                _Let me bond with you,_ Steve asks, and his form shimmers and shifts until the lion is gone and the human is there. Tony shimmers too, but Steve can feel his anxiety spike. When the form settles, Tony’s the bat again, ready to fly off if he needs.

                _We can’t break the link if you do that,_ Tony reminds him. _A trinity can’t totally break the bond, not without killing at least one member. I knew you were reckless, Cap, but I didn’t think you were suicidal._

 _We’re not going to get tired of you,_ Bucky protests. He’s in his human form as well, and he reaches his fingers out to stroke along Tony’s muzzle. Tony’s big, bat eyes slip closed. In their real bodies, Steve nuzzles closer to Tony, pushing his nose into the juncture of Tony’s throat. The instinct is there to bite, but something stronger is urging him as well. Perhaps his subconscious? His mind already thinks of Tony as part of their group. Now his body wants to as well.

                _If you’re looking for a second round, I’m tapping out,_ Tony quips, his bat-form quirking an eyebrow as if to say, _I’m judging you_. Steve laughs.

                _It’s not about sex. It never was, and you know that,_ Steve says, and he can feel that Tony knows it, even if Tony wants to keep denying it. _Be with us. You fit here._

                And then Steve falls silent, because if Tony doesn’t believe that then nothing can convince him.

 _You two have no idea what a mess you’re getting into,_ Tony says. To Steve, it’s starting to sound like a broken record.

 _If you think you’ve got the market cornered on mental issues, you haven’t looked out into that forest,_ Bucky responds. Steve follows his gaze into the darker part of the forest. There’s something moving back there, shifting in the leaves and keeping out of sight. It’s not another person. A separate entity would have been noticed when it entered. This is something that’s been trapped here, something created while Bucky’s psyche was catatonic.

 _We’re going to have to deal with that sometime,_ Steve tells him, and Bucky’s already nodding, absently stroking the fur of Tony’s ferret form. He’s transformed again. Steve thinks his anxiety is probably pretty high, if he’s shifting forms this much.

 _Let it be for now,_ Bucky says. _I’m hoping we can deal with it as a group. As a trinity._

                They wait, then, both sets of eyes on Tony. They want him, but they won’t force him.

 _You’re both bat shit crazy,_ Tony responds, shifting to his human form. His voice is resigned but tinged with the slightest hint of excitement. _I should know. I’m a bat._

 _So you’re in?_ Bucky asks, kneeling next to Tony, who’s still reclined on the ground. Tony huffs a sigh and grins up at Bucky.

_Yeah. Guess I’m pretty stupid too._

                The bond dissolves, and there’s a moment of hesitation as they reorient themselves to their bodies. Steve’s arms go tight around Tony, and he feels Bucky pressing closer to Tony’s back.

                “I’m not going to pull a runner, guys,” Tony protests. “You don’t have to cage me.”

                “Not caging,” Bucky protests. “Just hanging on for dear life. Feels like the rug’s about to be pulled out from under me any second.”

                “Feels too good to be true,” Steve agrees.

                “Just wait,” Tony says, and Steve can tell that he’s trying for confidence but it comes out desperate. “A couple weeks, a couple months. You’ll see.”

                “We’ll prove you wrong,” Bucky promises, nosing at the back of Tony’s neck. “Just watch, sweetheart.”

                “We want this, Tony,” Steve says, resting his forehead against Tony’s, “but I won’t force you. You can still back out. If you want this, if even a sliver of you thinks this can work, now is the time to let me know.”

                Tony doesn’t respond. For a moment, Steve’s heart sinks, and he thinks Tony won’t. Then, finally, after what seems like decades, Tony tilts his head to the side, exposing his vulnerable throat to Steve’s waiting teeth. Steve hesitates for a moment, then kisses the juncture between Tony’s neck and shoulder. The bite starts out slowly, like he’s trying to leave a bruise to mark Tony as his. The truth of it is less territorial, though, and more fearful. Steve is terrified of harming his weaker, non-super soldier mate. He’s never had to worry about the disparity of physical strength like this before, since he and Bucky mated before he joined the super-soldier program. After that, Bucky had still been a soldier. Tony’s body is in shape, but he’s not a fighter. He’s never felt more fragile in Steve’s arms.

                Steve can’t manage to break the skin until he feels Tony’s teeth sinking into his flesh. Then all the fear fades, and something like blind need comes over the soldier. He bites down and tastes the salty tang of Tony’s blood. It’s not really a pleasant taste, but it’s not about the flavor. Bucky’s blood is just as bitter and metallic. The blood on his tongue, though, helps Steve identify Tony’s mind. A bridge forms between them, and Bucky is pulled along by the established bonds. The three of them cling tight, trembling.

                Then the trifecta bond snaps into place. Their bodies go lax as all three minds rush to sync and form the necessary links that bond them together.

                For a moment, the whole world fades away, and it’s just the three of them alone in a universe of their own design.

                And it’s beautiful.

                “It won’t be perfect like this forever,” Tony warns, but already he seems more at peace.

                “Forever isn’t long enough,” Bucky protests, his mental shape tangling with Tony’s, spinning him with joy. “It’s gonna be eternity and a day before I let either of you go.”

                “Whatever happens,” Steve says more softly, pulling the other two into his embrace, “we’ll deal with it. Together.”

 

 


End file.
